Improving Client Conversations: Solutions for Animal Welfare Professionals

Client conversations don’t have to be draining. Explore supportive, humane communication that helps professionals, caregivers, and animals thrive.

Working in animal welfare means caring deeply about animals while handling complex, emotionally charged conversations with their human companions. We’re often trained to concentrate on behavior, safety, and welfare—but we are less prepared for the human side of the work.

This article explores how approaching client conversations with curiosity, empathy, and intention can strengthen relationships, support meaningful change for both people and animals, and help professionals feel more grounded and less exhausted in the process.

Improving Client Conversations: Solutions for Animal Welfare Professionals

When we work with a client, we're often focused on the dog in front of us and why the client reached out. We're trying to evaluate many different things at that moment. We observe the environment, whether the dogs' needs are being met, and if there are any safety concerns. As dog pros, or animal welfare professionals, we have many thoughts running through our minds. The client's perspective is rarely the main focus.

As dog pros, we are trained to evaluate the dog, help the client and the dog understand each other, and teach the dogs skills so they can succeed at home. Our focus is on behavior change for the dog. But what about the client? For real success, we often need the client to change their behavior, too.

Curiosity Opens the Door

So, how do we even begin to help clients change their own behavior? We start with curiosity. What would help a client in changing their behavior? What kinds of behavior change do we need the client to make? Can we effectively help both the dog and the client modify their behaviors together to create better patterns? These are the kinds of questions we can ask ourselves when we begin to understand the client. Questions like these help us see where the struggle lies between person and pet. When we get curious and look beyond the problem behavior, we can offer meaningful solutions. This approach helps build stronger person-pet relationships and also fosters a solid dog pro-client relationship.

The goal of having good client conversations is to build that relationship with the client. The better our conversations, the stronger the relationship with our clients, and the more likely we are to get engagement from our clients throughout the training process, which is really what we're aiming for as dog pros. Whenever we make a connection with our client, and they feel heard and believe we understand them and are on their side, the better the outcome is for the dog – which is our ultimate goal as dog pros.

The Multiple Species Professional

The challenge for animal welfare pros is that we aren't really trained on how to have these client conversations. That's not part of most professional dog training curricula. We are skilled in training mechanics, learning theory, and good welfare, but that's all dog-focused. We work with multiple species—canines and humans. Some of us work with even more species, including cats or horses. A major challenge for anyone in animal welfare is that we work with multiple species, yet our professional training often focuses on one or just a few non-human species. Where we need to build those strong connections is with human caregivers. It's through those human connections with caregivers that we're able to access the dogs we work with, so we can do our job—helping dogs (and other species) live better lives.

Support for Your Success

I recognize that in the animal welfare industry, there is a lack of training and support for animal pros in this area of client conversations, and I want to change that. I want my colleagues, my fellow animal welfare professionals, to have all the skills and tools they need to be effective with their clients. To build strong client relationships so that more animals can be helped, our clients achieve better outcomes, and we feel less stressed. So that we, as animal welfare pros, are less burned out. So that when we go home at the end of the day, we can be truly present for the dogs in our own lives. I've created two free resources for you; they are here solely to support you and help you on that path toward better client relationships.

The first is a downloadable PDF - 3 Simple Ways to Improve Client Conversations...And Get Better Results with Less Stress. It'll give you simple tips to improve those conversations. The second thing I want to offer is 3 Ways to Improve Client Conversations. It's a free mini-course to help you dive deeper into creating good client relationships through better conversations.

Cheers,

Delores

Beyond Behavior Coaching